Tirupati Stampede: 6 Dead, Over 40 Injured During Distribution of Darshan Tokens for Vaikuntha Ekadasi Festival

A stampede occurred near the Vishnu Nivasam temple in Tirupati late Wednesday evening during the distribution of darshan tokens for the Vaikuntha Ekadasi festival, resulting in the death of six devotees and injuries to over 40 others.

The incident has cast a shadow over preparations for the annual festival at the Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple on Tirumala Hills.

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), responsible for temple operations, had set up 94 counters across multiple locations in Tirupati to distribute 1,20,000 free tokens for “sarva darshan” (free darshan).

Tokens were meant to be handed out starting Thursday at 5 am, but thousands of devotees began gathering at the counters a night earlier.

The situation escalated at the MGM High School counter in Bairagipatteda, near Vishnu Nivasam temple, where a crowd of 4,000-5,000 had formed by Wednesday morning.

As the day progressed, pushing and jostling ensued, leading to an unruly crowd.

BR Naidu, chairman of TTD, explained that the chaos was triggered when a gate was opened to assist a woman who was unwell. The crowd surged forward all at once, resulting in the tragic stampede.

Tirupati Collector S Venkateswar stated that it took approximately 15 minutes to control and evacuate the crowd. The injured were rushed to local hospitals for treatment.

The festival, which allows devotees to pray to the deity from the temple’s northern entrance, has now been marred by this unfortunate event.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his condolences, saying his thoughts were with the families of the deceased and injured.

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi urged Congress workers to provide all possible assistance to those affected.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed his sorrow over the incident in a post on X.

“The death of several devotees in a stampede near Vishnu Niwasam in Tirupati for tokens to visit Tirumala Srivari Vaikuntha Dwara has shocked me. This tragic incident deeply disturbed me,” Naidu wrote in Telugu.